Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

So I decide to post a recipe before uni starts, which is tomorrow…. sad sad…

Many friends have asked me for easy, yummy and preferably healthy recipes for beginners, and lemon poppy seed cake is the one I always recommend. Its delicious, moist and literally super easy to make. But of course, I understand that while I say it is super easy, it may not be deemed to be that easy for people who have never baked before. No worries, I will give you some tips to ensure that you don’t end up wasting food 😛

This recipe is based on my high school’s cookbook but I made some modifications to suit my own taste. I know I know… you must be like “wth, your school published a cookbook?!” Yes yes… we did indeed… for fundraising…

ANYWAY, it actually includes many yummy and good-looking recipes. There were two main reasons why I decided to try out this recipe 3/4 years ago when I was still a beginner in baking: first, the title says “never-fail lemon cake”, and so I trusted it; second, my dad has always been a lemon cake lover as he enjoys the tangy flavor, which also makes the cake ‘lighter’. He told me once he tried a lemon cheesecake at a cafe in Wellington years ago and he said it was so delicious that he wanted to order the third slice but it was sold out… LOL I knew this cheesecake must be ridiculously yummy as my dad isn’t a super cake lover and certainly doesn’t need more than a slice to satisfy his tummy.

Although this lemon poppy seed cake probably isn’t as good as that lemon cheesecake, it’s definitely good enough for my dad to eat it for dinner and breakfast 😀 So everyone, give it a go! I can’t guarantee you 100% that you will make one as nice as I do (heheheeee :P) but I can guarantee that your house will smell absolutely amazing and you will enjoy an absolutely delicious cake which you don’t have to feel guilty and concerned about your weight!

Difficulty level: beginner

My family enjoys a very lemony cake, so I added extra lemon juice and lemon zest.

1. Preheat oven to 160C fan bake.
2. Grease a non-stick 22cm spring form tin with butter or oil.
3. Beat the sugar, eggs and the zest and juice of lemons in a bowl.
4. Add the oil, then the yoghurt, and beat until well combined.
5. Gently fold in the sifted flour and poppy seeds.
6. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 1 hour until golden brown. Test with a toothpick and if it comes our clean that its done! If not, put it back for another 5 minutes and test again.
7. Leave it on a cooling rack until its completely cooled down.
8. Dust it with icing sugar before serving
9. Enjoy your cake with some (unsweetened) yoghurt!

Tips:
– Always taste the mixture! E.g. add one cup of sugar first if you prefer less sweet, then taste, and add more if you need. Do the same thing after adding the lemon juice.
– NEVER over mix or your cake is gonna go tough! Just fold in your ingredients and stop once it’s well mixed.
– Measure accurately. It is important when making desserts to keep to the exact ratios. If you are a beginner, follow the recipe exactly!
– DON’T open the oven door while it’s baking or the cool air is gonna rush in and it won’t cook properly.
– If you test it with a toothpick after an hour and it is still gooey inside but the top starts burning, then put an aluminum foil on top of the cake, and bake it for another 5-10mins.

I hope you will give this recipe a try and let me know how it goes! Feel free to ask me any questions! No question is dumb question! 😉